JICA’s water treatment project washed away

The Punjab government has suspended the plan to install a water treatment plant by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Pakistan Today has learnt.

Sources revealed that the Punjab government has put aside the treatment plant project as it had given priority to energy crisis. The government had allocated Rs 4,500 million for the water plant.

On the other hand, sources added that the National Engineering Services Pakistan Pvt Limited (NESPAK) has been ordered to start work on the project. They said NESPAK would give a final estimate for the treatment plant soon.

JICA was not only going to set up the plant, but it was also going to resolve the water problem in Lahore.

The company was going to start various projects, including waste water treatment plant, water metres, drainage and Ghuslan Ravi disposal project.

According to official documents of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), as many as 695,000 meters were required in the metropolitan but there were just 40,000 metres installed in the houses.

The Punjab government had allocated 7,000 acres to JICA to set up the treatment plant, which had already been allotted to JICA for installing its wastewater treatment plant.

The Japanese donor agency has been trying to install this plant for the last 20 years. The Punjab government first allotted a site to JICA in Mehmood Booti, but later it handed over the site to the Lahore Waste Management Company for solid waste management. JICA was then given a site in Babu Sabu.

The site at the Ravi River which was once allotted to JICA for installing wastewater treatment plant was also being considered the best site by the Ravi Commission for setting up a biodegradation plant. The Ravi River Commission and WASA were discussing to settle the matter through negotiations with JICA.

Talking to Pakistan Today, WASA managing director said, “It is very good initiative by the Punjab government to start this project and NESPAK is going to give the final estimate for the wastewater treatment plant. This will also help out the Ravi commissions to set up the project of bio-degradation plant of River Ravi.”